Shade of Fear
by Morning Chrysanthemum
Summary: An AU drabble to show I haven't died and neither has my love for this pair. When Kiku undergoes a humiliating encounter Arthur takes it upon himself to defend the other boy. Cue much fluff.


_Hello, lovelies. I know it's a been a while. I've been banned from my laptop for the last 3 months. I'm in no means going to stop writing for this pairing but I will probably be writing others for different fandoms. Even that's going to take a long time. Occasionally you can find me on tumblr, much more active than I am on here._

_I plan on releasing more AsaKiku among others, though a specific time isn't in mind. Thank you to those patient enough to wait. I love you all._

* * *

He tried to pretend his ears were oblivious to the remarks.

It should be easy. He knows they're not meant for him.

Somehow, though, that awareness isn't _close _to enough to efface the fires dwelling and rising in his stomach.

Or, perhaps, it could have been the rather burnt scones he'd had earlier. His tastelessness seemed to be the stuff of legend. But considering how he has no overwhelming urge to head to the loo, he's cast that from the category of "Possible Sources of Arthur's States of Anger."

It's still a pretty big category.

Digression aside, the current cause – for lack of a better, less blunt word – was taking the whole matter a lot less seriously than Arthur was. He would have seemed completely immune to the whispers and mutters, but his pink-tinted cheeks and occasionally-darting brown eyes betrayed his embarrassment.

That was just the icing on the cake.

(Take that how you will, by the way.)

Arthur felt himself savagely grit his teeth for the first time in his life. He'd always attempted to abstain from something so bad for one's teeth, but dental concerns were quickly shoved away as the murmurs grew more frequent and Kiku became a nice shade of that salted salmon he seemed to love so much. Arthur unconsciously balled his fists, not feeling the sharp piercing of nails into flesh.

The urge for more subconscious action swept over his entire body as a forest fire would over trees. Arthur had no idea when he'd gotten on his feet or when words were soaring from his mouth, but all that mattered was that someone was saying _something_; that something was finally _happening._

"Hey, you lot out there! All of you! What the bloody hell d'you think gives you the right to mutter things about Kiku behind his back?"

For once, there was silence. But he wasn't done by a long shot.

"I see you're quiet _now._ Look me straight in the eyes, twats, and say to me that you've never had the desire to cry or flee from or maim a roach when you see one? Or, all three of those…like Kiku just did…" his last few words had noticeably less force, but he compensated in his next ones.

"Isn't it human instinct? Fight or flight? And in case you haven't noticed, Kiku's human just like the rest of us here. Not some zoo exhibit you can point and whisper about. I know he doesn't seem like it, but he has feelings too! I'm sure he's smiled that strangely nice smile of his or shed tears or been frightened like he was now. Don't you _dare _just make little assumptions about people and run off giggling with them. Maybe he had bad experiences with those buggers, anyway! You guys are nothing better, flying around buzzing with gossip. It's…sickening."

Again there was silence. It was rather like the effects of a spray: it flew out from the source and disseminated. Before long, things seemed to have reverted back to their original state, but there was a lingering tension even as people departed.

Arthur sucked in a deep breath and then released it. He didn't realize even Kiku had moved until the other boy voiced in a hesitant, shamed whisper, "It was not necessary, Kirkland-san. Men are not meant to cry to a certain extent." Contrary to his words, fresh tears slipped down Kiku's face, somehow retracing the streams the old ones had trailed.

"W-well…this is between you and me, got it? You wouldn't _believe _how much I cried when the Doctor and Rose…anyway, I filled buckets over fictional characters! And…th-that was all for my sake, not yours! Don't get the wrong idea here…" Again, Arthur had that urge to say _something_, but urk, he could sure do without the bright-red lobster blush that accompanied the urge.

Even more silence. Then:

"Do you really think my smile is nice?"

Well, ix-nay any chances of reducing the blush. Arthur saw it fit to turn his head as a last resort.

"N-not in a good way, I said _strangely _nice, didn't I? I mean, not that I meant it in a _bad _way, I just—yea. I do."

Kiku _laughed. _Or, well, it wasn't loud or loud, but it still occurred, and to Arthur that's all that mattered.

Besides his quickly-diminishing pride, of course.

"I-it's better than you _crying_, at least!" Arthur spluttered. "But I-I said that for my sake, not yours!" Ah, repetition, repetition, repetition.

Kiku chuckled again, tears already drying and expression brightening, just a bit.

"And I wouldn't have it any other way, Kirkland-san."


End file.
